Syracuse - The Rockets finished 2019 ranked 9th in the state in a season that ended with a 23-4 record and a trip to the district final game. Head Coach Courtney Vangroningen noted a lot of her girls stepped into new roles last year and she had a lot of underclassmen see the varsity floor for the first time.

Seniors Jessie Moss and Halle Wilhelm are joined by Juniors Lindsey Moss, Lily Vollertsen, Klayre Roberts, and Kennedy Stanley as the six returning letter winners from last season. Jessie Moss is a Midland commit after earning a spot on the All-State Second Team and All-Conference First Team a year ago.

Coach Vangroningen has high expectations for her team this season. “We will be returning a few key members this season. I think we have a good combination of experienced returners and athletic underclassmen. With consistency and hard work, the girls will accomplish a lot this season.”

Conestoga - The Cougars were led by first-year Head Coach Kyleigh Lewis in 2019 with a young core at the center of the team. Conestoga returns eleven letter winners from last season, including Naomi Simones, who broke the school record in serves received with 589.

Taylor McClatchey, Allison Lewien, and Lindee Watson join Simones as the returning starters that also lettered. Myah Cummings, Amelia Gocke, Hannah Lewien, Addison Andersen, Jozlynne Kozak, Sophia Ackerman, and Sophia Tegels are the remaining seven letter winners from a season ago.

Lewis’ team had great participation throughout their summer work, leagues, and camps. With the young core returning and a group growth mindset, the Cougars are primed for a great 2020 season.

Elmwood-Murdock - The Knights finished the 2019 season 11-22 but the record doesn’t do them enough justice. In a tough conference and district, Elmwood-Murdock managed to finish the year with 86.4% serving and 82.5% serve receive efficiency. Brenna Schmidt broke the school record with 98 blocks, and Lauren Justesen set a new program record with 1243 career digs.

Schmidt will be a junior this upcoming season, the only returning letter winner that was a starter last year. Abby Petersen (12th), Sela Rikli (11th), Bailey Frahm (11th), and Lexi Bacon (11th) are all returning letter winners but will start for the first time.

Head Coach Nichole Justesen and her team will face another tough schedule as they switch classes to D1. Justesen’s squad will be young, with plenty of new starters, but they shape up to be a strong defensive team.

Fremont-Mills - Last year Fremont-Mills had its ups and downs but came on strong in the final legs of the season. The Knights will return three letter winners from 2019, Senior Kenna Howard, Junior Kaelynn Driskell, and Sophomore Teagan Ewalt.

Head Coach Tracy Malcom saw some key seniors graduate this past year, leaving her team with holes to fill. Despite this, she feels her team is up for the challenge.

“We have a young and overall new team. These girls are very athletic and come in with a positive attitude. Sometimes that is half your battle, and I feel that this team is going to surprise some people.”

As Malcom deals with a young team and COVID complications, her focus for the team is “controlling what we can control.” With a positive mindset, Malcom is hopeful for a great season with her new team.

Glenwood - 2019 was a historic year for the Rams as they went 30-13 and qualified for the state tournament for the first time in school history. The 30 team wins was the most in program history. The Rams also set new program records in sets won (75), kills (1,214), blocks (354), digs (1,577), and assists (1,136). Head Coach Chelsey Hirt lost seven seniors from the program’s historic 2019 side, including four key seniors who shared the court for the entirety of the year.

Coach Hirt reported 50 total girls coming out to play volleyball this year for Glenwood, a large group that has just three seniors. All three seniors, Elle Scarborough, Kelly Embray, and Grace Boles, have lettered multiple years in a row. Scarborough set the school records for kills in a season with 498, as well as kills in a career with 820. Juniors Abby Hughes, Coryl Matheny, Brynlee Arnold, and Kennedy Jones join the trio of seniors as returning letter winners. Arnold set the school record for blocks in a season with 114.

Coach Hirt wants to focus on building the team’s chemistry first, then build skill. She preaches mental toughness is the key to the Rams success. “In volleyball it’s 85% mentality and 15% skill. Volleyball is a game of mistakes … it goes to 25 on one side and sometimes it does battle and you go over 50 points. 50 errors were made at some point in one set, so we have to have mind over matter.” She expects her side to win the Hawkeye 10 conference and to book a trip to the state tournament for the second year in a row.

Louisville - The Lions finished 2019 with a 20-11 record, finishing 3rd in the ECNC. Head Coach Megan Barnes is tasked with reloading her squad for the 2020 season after last year’s senior-heavy team saw most of its stars graduate. Louisville returns two letter winners from last year, McKenzie Norris (12th) and Lea Kalkowski (11th).

Coach Barnes expects some underclassmen to step up right away, with the focus on getting better each and every day. Despite only the team being able to lift weights for only a month and play volleyball for just three weeks, Coach Barnes noted the underclassmen were eager to get in the gym and work hard, leaving her to believe Louisville’s future is bright.

Palmyra - Sarah Swartzendruber enters her 15th year of coaching after an 11-16 record in 2019. The Panthers return nine letter winners, including Jami Gabriel, Holly Wilen, and Taya Ptacnik, who’ve all lettered multiple years.

Gabriel enters her senior year as a three-year starter and led Palmyra in offensive and defensive stats a year ago. Wilen will return in one of the setter roles for her senior season. She led the Panthers in assists in 2019.

Swartzendruber has a young squad led by a solid group of upperclassmen. She expects to have a more balanced offensive system this year after returning both setters and having a plethora of hitting options. With a lot of her defensive starters returning, she expects good defense will be the key to a solid season.

Plattsmouth - Head Coach Ashley Classen jumped into the high school volleyball scene with a 12-14 record, the best record Plattsmouth has had in a decade. 2019 was Classen’s first year as a head coach, and first year coaching at the high school level.

The Blue Devils will be forced to replace seven seniors from 2019, including three starters and two who played half time. The five returning letter winners, Middles Savanna Berger and Kennedy Miller, Outside Hitters Sydney Hobscheidt and Mackenzie Caba, and Setter Rylee Hellbusch, will look to pick up the slack and lead the way.

Classen’s team faces a tough challenge after battling tight district regulations in the buildup to the season. COVID-19 caused the club volleyball seasons to be cancelled, limited the girls’ time in the weight room — which didn’t start until July, and left them unable to attend any camps. Classen hasn’t been able to coach all summer and Plattsmouth’s conditioning was shut down in early August, meaning she hasn’t been able to see her team since late July.

While all teams felt the impacts from COVID-19, it’s been particularly difficult for the Blue Devils. Classen is focusing on the day-to-day routine, hoping to get her team back to playing and in better shape, and reinforcing her tactic of mental toughness that led to them winning multiple close games a year ago.

Red Oak - The Tigers are coming into 2020 fresh off a season that saw them finish with a share of the Hawkeye 10 conference title and play in a five-set state semifinal matchup. Red Oak finished the year with a 34-7 record, led by four standout seniors, two of which garnered first and second team all state honors in 3A.

Lexi Johnson will feature as one of the star returning players for the Tigers and will make the move to the outside after playing in the middle the past two years. Johnson takes after her older sister, who was First Team All-State last year, as a hard-hitter who projects as one of the better players in the conference and state. Chloe DeVries will bring two years of starting experience and return as the Tigers setter again. DeVries averaged 3.91 assists per set last year. Abbey Jones and Tory Carrick are two more returning starters from last year's team. Jones, entering her third year as a varsity starter, will move to be Red Oak’s libero after setting the past two seasons. Liz Carbaugh will make her starting debut this year after posting 6 blocks in the semifinal match last year.

Head Coach Angela Montgomery has high expectations for her squad again this year, expecting them to compete for a Hawkeye 10 title again. “We may have a few big shoes to fill but we feel we are in a great position and have a very deep bench of reserve players who can and will be ready to step on the court at any time if needed this year.”

Shenandoah - The Mustangs finished 2019 in a three-way tie for 10th place in the Hawkeye 10 conference. Shenandoah showed growth throughout the season, including a win in the first round of district play when they took down Clarinda in just three sets. Clarinda had previously beaten them in three sets earlier in the season.

Olivia Stogdill, Delanie Voshell, Jasmine Rogers, Sidda Rodewald, and Macee Blank are returning seniors that lettered a year ago. Junior and returning letter winner Allie Eveland joins the five seniors set to lead the Mustangs in 2020.

Although Head Coach Toni Comstock has seven seniors on her squad, she feels the team is still young and inexperienced, with only six players having limited varsity experience. She hopes her team will finish around 10th again in the Hawkeye 10, with top three finishes in every tournament they compete in.

Sidney - Amy McClintock’s team enters 2020 as the reigning State Champions. The 2019 title was the first championship in any girls sport for Sidney and marked five years in a row the Cowgirls have booked a trip to the state tournament.

Sidney will look to reload after losing four starters from their championship side, including multiple four-year starters. Paige Smith (12th), Lily Johnson (12th), and Harley Spurlock (11th) are the three returning varsity players.

Coach McClintock’s first goal is to complete a whole season. Her second goal is to win the conference title and make an appearance back in the state tournament. She’s having her squad take everything a day at a time, looking to improve each day.

Weeping Water - Injuries derailed Weeping Water’s 2019 season but Head Coach Ty Peteranetz was impressed with how much other players stepped up in what was ultimately a tough season.

Weeping Water has six returning letter winners in Seniors Addi Bickford and Reagan Aronson, Juniors Karley Ridge and Abby Meeske, and Sophomores Lexi Mogensen and Sammi Burch.

Coach Peteranetz said his team is heading into the season with a “big time growth mindset.” He expects his squad to be much better, praising the girls for putting in the work in the offseason and working on weaker parts of their individual games. “The girls have worked really hard every touch in the offseason … We've had great energy and inspiration throughout the summer. I expect a huge jump this year.”